Roses
by AniHope
Summary: Finished This takes place a few years after Wren's War. Wren left to find Connor, and now Teresa has to get married.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to Sherwood Smith. Please don't sue me.

A/N ~ Go easy on me. This is my first fan-fic

Meetings

Queen Teressa blew on her hands and jumped up and down a couple of times, trying to keep herself warm. 

She was waiting in the palace garden to meet Tyron. They were supposed to talk about the improvements and opening for the new school of magic. 

She sighed and sat down on a bench. He was late. 

She really didn't know why they'd planned to meet out here, in the garden. It was March, and still chilly. And besides that, the garden was dying. 

According to Tyron and the other magicians, it had originally been started using some kind of magic, and now it needed to be renewed. But none of them could be sure what, exactly, had been done. Whatever it was it was an old magic and probably long-forgotten. 

_Oh, where _is_ he?_ Teressa thought, irritably. She didn't know why his absence made her so anxious. 

She'd come to look forward to these meetings. He was also the only one of her three best friends who was still here, at the palace. Ever since Wren had left, hoping to find Connor and have some adventures along the way. 

Teressa was just about to get up to look for Tyron, when she saw him hurrying toward her. She stood up to greet him. 

When he reached her, he smiled. "Your Majesty." He said with a nod, by way of formal greeting. 

Then he relaxed. "Sorry I'm late," he said. "Laris wanted to talk to me about the lists for the new students. I hope I didn't keep you waiting long?"

She shook her head. "No, it's quite alright," she said, wondering why the thought of him talking to Laris bothered her so much. He _was_ the Queen's Magician, and it was his job to oversee this whole process. 

He smiled again. "Well then, shall we proceed?" He gestured to the bench. Teressa nodded and sat down.

A/N ~ Yeah, I know that was short, there will be more. Review!! NOW!!


	2. On That Holy Mountain

A/N ~ Hey, I finally got the next chapter up! YaY! Enjoy!

Wren pulled herself up the last stretch and stood on the top of the mountain. She looked around herself. The view was extraordinary. She could see for miles. 

The top of the mountain, though chilly, was beautiful as well. All the trees were just starting to grow leaves and small flower buds were starting to peak out of the ground. 

Wren sighed contentedly, and then turned as Connor came up behind her, breathing heavily. They stood together for a minute enjoying the view. Then Wren broke the silence.

We'd better get started setting up camp," she said.

Connor nodded, and they set about building a fire.

~ * ~                                        ~ * ~                                        ~ * ~                                        

That night, they sat in front of the fire, trying to keep warm.

"So where should we go from here?" asked Wren.

Connor shrugged. "Well, I guess we can keep going west..." he trailed off.

Wren nodded happily. "Pay a visit to the palace," she said.

Connor nodded.

"I wonder how Teressa's doing," Wren continued, "I mean, she's Queen now."

"Yeah, and Tyron's Queen's Magician." Added Connor.

"It seems like just yesterday, we were all just kids. No responsibilities."

"Some of us had more responsibilities than others." Said Connor with a grimace, remembering his days in the palace as a prince.

Wren grinned.

Connor lay awake late into the cold night, thinking about the old days. 

_Things are different now, he thought. He looked over at Wren, sleeping in front of the fire. Very different. _

Looking at Wren reminded him of how much he himself had changed. His feelings for Wren had changed too. He wasn't sure how, but it made him uncomfortable to think about it. 

He shivered and shifted his position, trying to fall asleep. But it wasn't just the cold keeping him awake.

~ * ~                                        ~ * ~                                        ~ * ~                

Sitting on the mountain in the morning, the conversation turned back to their old friends. "Do you think there's a king?" wondered Wren.

Connor frowned. "I can't imagine Teressa surrendering her power to any suitor." He said. Wren grinned and nodded. 

"Yeah. I guess you're right. I can't imagine her marrying anyone for any reason other than love."

Connor was silent for a minute. Then he said, "Do you think she could have fallen in love?"

Wren looked at him in surprise. He was looking back at her. She looked away. It made her dizzy, somehow, to look at him like that. 

She'd recently started to get very confused about how she felt when she looked at Connor. She thought about his question. Love, she thought. Could this be love? She looked back at Connor. He was still looking at her. 

She swallowed, then she looked bravely into his eyes. She thought she saw a quick flash of fear, but then it was replaced with determination, as he leaned forward and kissed her.

A/N ~ Whew! That was fun! If you don't like it, tough. Review anyway. Please.


	3. Dinner

A/N ~ Yea! I finished another chapter! Go me!

Thanks to all of my (three) reviewers: charmgirl, scythegirl, and Miriam

A few months later...

Teressa sat cross-legged on her bed, her chin in her hands. She was lucky to get a moment to herself. She was constantly being pressured by her various relatives and advisors to get married. She had plenty of suitors; royal men from other kingdoms. 

She sighed. She'd always thought that if she got married, it would be for love. But how was a queen ever to find love? 

Already there was a dinner planned and all the suitors were invited, so that she could "find out more about them". Right. All she would find out was how wealthy they were and how beneficial an alliance with their country would be. She was perfectly willing to form an alliance. But not if that meant getting married. 

Oh, whatever was she going to do? Wren would know what to do. At least she'd make it seem more bearable. But Teressa didn't even have Wren here for moral support.

Well, she'd have to go to the dinner, of course. But, she decided, she would not marry anyone she couldn't love. She wouldn't. She sat back, wishing she knew where Wren and Connor were. She got up and went to find Tyron, the one person left that she could really talk to.

The night of the dinner came, and Teressa started to feel faint. She had a major case of butterflies in her stomach. She didn't really know what she had to be nervous about. She'd been to diplomatic dinners and meetings before. Why should this be any different? She'd already decided that she wasn't going to marry any of them. She couldn't possibly fall in love tonight, could she? 

She entered the room in her blue velvet gown, with her hair, now fully grown back, pulled in a braid down her back. She took her place at the head of the table, and the food was brought out. Throughout the dinner, she found herself looking around for Tyron, though she knew how foolish that was. He wasn't required to be here. Why should he come? 

She managed to get through the dinner alright, and then it was time for dancing. She would be expected to dance with each and every suitor. It made her feel exhausted just thinking about it. 

Her aunt led the first suitor to her, and the dancing began. She tried to listen and seem interested as they attempted to engage her in conversation. "Your Majesty," they'd say, "I have admired your strength in ruling your kingdom, and mine has always tried to assist in any way possible..." Teressa became more and more agitated. None of them cared a bit about her, just her kingdom, and land, and money. 

When there was finally a break in the dancing, Teressa was just about to find somewhere to sit and rest, when her aunt found her and said, "Teressa, dear, I hope you are gaining valuable time with each of your suitors, and are considering your decision. We are all anxiously awaiting your announcement." She smiled and moved on. 

Teressa could barely breathe. They actually expected her to announce who she would marry tonight! She stared wildly around the room. She barely registered it, when she saw Tyron across the room. She felt like she was suffocating. She needed to get out of the room. She headed for the garden. 

A/N ~ I guess that was pretty short. Well, more soon. Review!!


	4. Tension

A/N ~ Sorry this took so long. This was hard chapter to write. Well, here's Wren and Connor again. Enjoy!

When they broke apart, Connor nervously turned his head to stare at the ground. Wren turned in the other direction. She stared, and her eyes widened.

"Connor!" She gasped. He turned, and then looked to see where she was staring.

The trees, which had been just starting to grow leaves a minute a go, where now in full summer bloom. The flowers were blossoming fully in many radiant colors.

"What happened?" Connor whispered.

Wren just shook her head slowly, and continued to stare open-mouthed at the altered landscape.

      ~ * ~                                              ~ * ~                                        ~ * ~                

Eventually, they had to pack up and move on. But it wasn't just the landscape that had been altered that morning. 

Connor and Wren had been traveling together for months, years even. But this was different. They rarely spoke at all, and they almost never looked at each other. And if they did, it was just a nervous glance out of the sides of their eyes.

It was as if they'd gone from being best friends to complete strangers, Connor thought. He wanted them to be more than friends, but anything was better than this. This was awkward and frustrating. Not to mention lonely.

After five days, they stopped in a small glade near a stream. When they'd made camp, Connor stood, silently, looking west toward their destination. All of a sudden, Wren stepped in front of him. She looked at him solidly for a second, then she spoke. 

"Connor, this has to stop. We're only making ourselves miserable. I don't want to go on like this, and I don't think you do either, so we'd better figure out a way to change it. Preferably before we get to the palace."

He nodded. "Yeah, I agree. So, how do we do that?"

"The first step," Wren said, firmly, "is to figure out the problem." 

Connor winced and stared down at the ground.

"No, don't do that, Connor. We can't just turn away and pretend it didn't happen. Because it did. We kissed. Okay, now you say it."

Connor closed his eyes and breathed slowly.

"Say it!"

He mumbled something incomprehensible. 

"Louder!"

He opened his eyes and looked right at her. "We kissed," he said, clearly.

She nodded. "Okay. So, the next question is, where do we go from here?"

Connor sighed, and turned to sit in the grass, facing the stream. Wren came to sit beside him.

"Well," she said, "we have a few choices. We can go on like this, which I don't think either of us wants to do." Connor shook his head.

"Or," she continued, "we can try to go back to being good friends, like we were before, or-" she hesitated before continuing. "Or, we could try being more than friends."

Connor turned to stare at her. "_Can we do that?" He asked, quietly._

Wren drew a shaky breath in. "We can at least try," she answered. 

Connor nodded. "Okay then," he said, and smiled. "Shall we try again?"

Wren nodded, and they leaned closer, their lips touching in a kiss.

A/N ~ Ahhhh. Okay, now you can review!


	5. Someone Who Loves You

A/N ~ Sorry this chapter took me so long. I had to look up some information. Please forgive me if I spelled any of the names wrong.

Teressa ran from room and out the door into the garden, with all its dying roses. She let out a huge breath and sank down onto the bench, her head in her hands. She tried to breathe deeply, in and out. What was she going to do? 

_Okay,_ she thought, _calm down first. Think about this calmly and rationally._ What she really needed was someone to talk it out to. But she had no one. She was so alone. Alone.

_Don't cry, Teressa,_ she thought. _Not now._

She was suddenly aware of someone sitting down beside her. She turned to see that it was Tyron, his eyes full of concern. Teressa sighed with relief. She wasn't alone after all. _Oh, Tyron, she thought, __thank you for being here, just when I needed you the most. Please don't treat me like royalty right now. Please treat me like you used to. Please be my old friend tonight._

Tyron took her hand in his. "Tess, are you okay?"

Like a flood she'd been holding inside for so long, Tess let it all out. She told him everything. About her aunt, and the suitors, and the announcement she was expected to make tonight. Through it all, he sat and listened. When she was done, she leaned against him, and he let her cry on his shoulder. 

Finally she sat up. "I don't want to give up my throne. I've worked to make this kingdom a better place, and I won't have one of them come in and change that."

Tyron nodded. "So what you want is someone who'll agree to have the title of King, but let you continue to have most of the power, instead of the other way around. Someone who could maybe have a different job or role to play at the same time."

_Like Queen's Magician, _thought Teressa. She sighed, and out loud she said, "It's ridiculous. Who would ever agree to that? Certainly not one of them." She jerked her head to indicate the suitors inside the castle.

Tyron cocked his head. "Someone who wants to marry you for a reason other than power." He answered. "Someone who loves you."

_Love.__ What is love? Tyron was here for me when I needed him the most. He comforted me. He's been by my side all this time. Teressa thought about how she looked forward to seeing him everyday, and how much she missed him when she didn't. It was Tyron, not Connor or Wren that she'd needed tonight, and he was here. She realized then that she did know what love was. __I love him, she thought. _I love Tyron.__

She looked Tyron in the eyes and said, "Who? Who loves me that much, Tyron?"

Tyron took a deep breath. _This is it, he thought.__ Here goes nothing. For a moment he just looked into Tess's eyes. Then he answered, "I do. I love you, Teressa."_

A mixture of relief and joy spread across her face. _I guess I'd better do this right,_ thought Tyron. He slid to the ground on one knee, still holding Tess's hand. "Teressa Rhisadel, will you marry me?"

Teressa's eyes were shining where her tears had been. "Yes," she said. "Yes Tyron, I will marry you."

They both stood, and threw their arms around each other. Tyron brought one hand up, and put it on Teressa's cheek. Their lips touched in a perfect kiss.

For a while they stood in each other's embrace, then Tyron broke the silence. "Do you want to dance?"

Teressa smiled, "Yes, let's." They walked inside together and joined the waltz in the ballroom. 

Almost as soon as the dance ended, Teressa saw her aunt pushing toward them. She groaned inwardly at the sight, and Tyron squeezed her hand.

"Teressa, dear," said her aunt, "thank goodness I've found you! We're all anxious to hear your decision." She dragged Teressa through the crowd and up onto the podium at the front of the room.

Tess looked out at the room full of expectant faces, and smiled. She was ready, now, to make her announcement.

A month later, Laris was helping Tyron and Teressa with their wedding plans. 

"Okay," Laris was saying, "we're almost finished with the guest list. Anyone else you can think of?"

Teressa smiled sadly, and said, wistfully, "I only wish Wren and Connor could be there. But we have no way of contacting them." Tyron nodded sadly in agreement. Tess sighed, resigning herself to a wedding without her best friend. "Well," she said, brusquely, "I can't think of anyone else, can you?" She looked at Tyron. He shook his head.

"Well then, what's next on the list?" She asked, turning back to Laris. 

A/N ~ Next on _my list is Chapter 6, and don't worry, there will be more of Wren and Connor._


	6. Because She Is My Rose

A/N ~ Okay everybody, this is the last chapter, so – enjoy! I hope you like it!

            _"To be sure, an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you – the rose that belongs to me. But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have watered; because it is she that I have put under the glass globe; … because it is she that I have listened to , when she grumbled or boasted, or even sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is my _rose."… "It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important." _~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery in The Little Prince_

Wren finished getting the fire started and sat back, enjoying the warmth. Connor came to sit beside her. He put his arm around her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. "How long do you think it will be before we get to the Palace?" she asked.

            "Should only be about a week," Connor answered. 

            "Good. I can't wait to see Teressa and Tyron again."

            Connor smiled, and nodded in agreement. They sat together in contented silence for a couple more minutes, then Wren sighed. "I guess I'd better refill our water supply." She got up and went to get the canteens. Then, she walked the small distance to the nearby stream. As she was kneeling down to fill the canteens, she suddenly felt a voice in her head. _Wren._

She started and almost dropped the canteens. She gazed down into the stream. _Laris? _

            _Wren! I'm so glad I got through to you! I thought for sure you'd be too far away._

_            We're about a week away. What's wrong?_

_            Nothing's wrong! Nothing at all. Connor's with you then?_

_            Yes, he's here. Why?_

_            Well, you're coming here, right?_

_            Yes, we're on our way._

_            Good. You should be here on time._

_            For?_

_            You'll see. An important royal event._

_            What?_

_            See you soon!_

_            Wait, Laris! _But she was gone. Wren sat down on the bank of the stream in frustration. What could be happening at the castle? It couldn't be something bad, or Laris wouldn't have sounded so calm. What then?

            It took Wren and Connor much longer than they'd expected to reach their destination. It was mid-spring and the weather was horrible. The rain was almost constant, causing many roads to be closed, so the travelers were forced to take a lot of detours. After at least two wet weeks of walking, they finally reached the capital city, where the palace was. Despite the rain, the city seemed amazingly busy, even more so the closer they got to the castle. They were getting increasingly curious about what could possibly be happening.

            Trying to keep out of the rain, while at the same time casting curious eyes all about them, the two made their way to the Palace gates. 

            The guard stationed there was surprised to see them. "Prince Connor!" he exclaimed when he recognized them. "Welcome back! Are you here for the wedding?" 

            Before a confused Connor could respond to this puzzling comment, a second guard rushed up. "Miss Laris has requested that I bring you directly to her if you were to show up, although, frankly, we were beginning to think you weren't coming at all." He led them through the gates and into the palace.

            Inside the palace, there were people rushing all over the place with various items, shouting to each other. Wren and Connor stared about them in wonder, as the guard took their soaking wet cloaks, and went to hang them somewhere. 

            Laris rushed up to them, with a huge smile on her face. "Wren! Connor! I'm so glad you're here! What kept you?"

            Connor seemed too disoriented to answer, so Wren said, "A lot of roads were blocked because of the weather, so it took longer than we'd expected." She stared as a tall woman ran past with an armload of fake roses. "What's going on? The guard at the gate said something about a wedding."

            Laris just grinned and said, "Come on. Let's go somewhere where we can talk in peace. And get you some dry clothing." She took them both by the arms and pulled them along after her.

            Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting, dry and warm, in a small quiet sitting room. Laris smiled. "I'm _so _glad you got here on time! This is excellent!"

            "Why? What are we on time _for_?" Connor said, exasperated.

            Laris' eyes were shining. "For the royal wedding tomorrow!" Connor and Wren stared at her.

            "Royal wedding?"

            Laris nodded. "Yes. Her Majesty, The Queen is getting married tomorrow."

            "As in, Queen Teressa? As in Tess? Our Tess?" asked Wren wide-eyed. "She would never!"

            "It's a special arrangement. The King will only be King in title. Teressa will keep her ruling power. The King will have a different job." Her eyes glittered mischievously. 

            "Oh, come on. You can't be serious," said Connor. "Who would agree to that?"

            "Someone who was marrying her for love," said Laris, simply.

            "But, who?!" cried Wren.

            "And what do you mean 'a different job,'" asked Connor.

            Laris grinned. "The King will, in fact, be the Queen's Magician." Connor and Wren stared at her again.

            "Tyron's the Queen's Magician," stated Connor. Laris nodded.

            "So, what you're trying to tell us is that Teressa is marrying Tyron," said Wren.

            Laris nodded again, her eyes shining. "Now, we have to keep them from seeing you until tomorrow, because I want it to be a surprise."

            That night, for the first time in what felt like eons, Wren and Connor slept in real beds. Wren tossed and turned, unable to get to sleep. She wasn't used to this. She and Connor hadn't been this far apart in a very long time. She found herself missing him, and then scolded herself for such silliness. He was right down the hall, and anyway, she would see him tomorrow.

            She sighed and turned over again. Then she noticed something. Her ring! It was glowing! Connor! It had to be. Teressa and Tyron didn't know they were here. She got out of bed quickly and hurried into the hall. Using the ring to lead her, she made her way through the palace, and found herself in the garden. She made her way through the rows of dying roses, and found Connor seated on a bench, staring at the sky.

            "Connor?" she whispered. He looked up, and smiled.

            "Hey. I missed you."

            Wren laughed, even though that was exactly what she had been thinking, and said, "Connor, we've only been apart for a couple of hours." 

            He nodded. "I know, but-" he shrugged, "It just felt weird." 

            Wren sat down next to him. "I know what you mean."

            "It's just – I couldn't stand being away from you, even for a couple hours. I – I can't imagine being away from you for longer than that."

            Wren smiled fondly and slipped her hand into his. "I missed you too."

            He squeezed her hand, and looked her in the eyes. "Wren," he whispered. "I – I love you."

            Her whole filled with joy at those words. "I love you too," she whispered back, as her lips met his. And, though they couldn't see it then, something miraculous happened in the dark garden.

Teressa woke up on the morning of her wedding day, and sensed something different in the air. She dressed quickly and hurried out of the room. She met Tyron on her way out to the garden. He followed her outside, and when they stepped through the doors, they stopped, suddenly, and stared.

Wren woke up to find herself still sitting on the bench next to Connor with her head resting on his shoulder. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, and immediately felt that something was different, but she couldn't quite place it. Connor was starting to wake up, beside her. 

Then she her a voice cry in astonishment, "Tyron! The roses!"

Wren looked around her. That was it. The roses that had been dead the night before were now in full bloom. Then she recognized the voice.

Teressa was laughing with joy, as she came around the bend with Tyron right behind her. And again she stopped to stare in astonishment. Wren looked at her calmly. "Good morning," she said.

"Wren!" cried Teressa. Wren grinned, and stood to embrace her best friend. 

Connor was rubbing his eyes and yawning. "What's going on?" he muttered. Tyron was laughing and grinning.

"When did you guys get here?" he asked. 

"Yesterday," said Wren. "Laris didn't let us see you. She wanted it to be a surprise."

Teressa grinned. "I can't believe you're here!"

Wren smiled. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"I guess this must seem a little weird to you guys, huh?"

Wren looked at Connor and smiled. "Not so weird."

Tyron was looking thoughtfully at the roses. "Iyon Daiyin magic," he muttered. "Did you guys do this?" he asked Connor.

Connor stared around at the roses. "Huh," he said. "You know, I think we did." He looked at Wren. "Just like on that mountain." Wren's eyes widened as she realized. 

"Right," she said slowly.

"I wonder why we didn't think of that before," said Tyron. "It must be some ancient kind of Iyon Daiyin magic. I don't suppose you know what, exactly?"

Connor smiled. "I do actually," he said. "It's the oldest there is –" he looked at Wren, "love."

THE END

A/N ~ Yes, I know, that was extremely corny. I'm sorry. I apologize for anything that was inaccurate. I realize that there probably wouldn't have been any fake roses, but, oh well. I hope you liked it! 


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